Troubled Waters
by Koenma's Dark Dragons
Summary: A rare water kitsune has been under attack for 2 years for her unknown, well-hidden powers. When the team is assigned to protect her, will she let her guard down and learn to trust them, and will she learn to love after years of heartbreak? Written by FireStorm1991 and adopted by Just 2 Dream of You. Reposted on joint account
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH

**A/N: Hello, I am Just 2 Dream of You and I have adopted this story from FireStorm1991. I have fused her chapters together, because they were pretty short and all 12 may just come down to about 3 or 4. (I'm posting this here cuz I have enough stories on my pro and this account needs more. Plus I think it qualifies as a joint venture XD) When I get to the point she left, I will continue. Also, I have fixed or rearranged a few things to help keep Hiei IC but nothing too serious. Hope you all like it!**

* * *

Troubled Waters

Chapter One

X -x-x-x-x- X

"I think she went this way!"

"You two are idiots! She went this way!"

The group of men ran out of a clearing and into the woods. Her turquoise eyes scanned the area as she moved strands of blonde hair out of her face. Her light brown fox ears twitched as she listened for them, her tail swishing in response.

She knew more men were headed her way. The girl closed her eyes and silently prayed.

_Please, PLEASE, don't let them find me..._

* * *

It was another rainy night when Hiei knocked on Kurama's window. Kurama looked up from his book and then put it down on his nightstand before moving to open his window. Within seconds, Hiei was inside taking off his wet cloak.

"You should really start thinking about using the front door, Hiei. My mother is always happy to have you stay here."

"Hn," Hiei responded taking his usual seat by the window.

The two sat in silence until Yusuke stormed in with Kuwabara. "Yo, you two, we've got another mission from Koenma," Yusuke said loudly.

"Yusuke," Kurama warned quietly, "need I remind you that my mother is downstairs?"

"Sorry," Yusuke said quietly putting his arm behind his head. "Anyway, we need to go get details."

"Glad you could all make it," Koenma said when everyone entered his office.

"Yeah, yeah, just tell us the mission," Yusuke griped.

Koenma sighed. "Fine. Anyway, this file has your assignment."

Yusuke opened the file and he, Kurama, and Kuwabara read it. Hiei didn't really care.

"Wow, she's pretty," Kuwabara said innocently.

"Her name is Umiko," Koenma explained. "She's a rare water kitsune with some unusual powers."

"Unbelievable," Kurama marveled. He looked over to Koenma. "Water kitsunes were said to be a myth. I myself have never met one before."

"Yes, well," Koenma said nervously looking away from the group, "Umiko has been under attack for about a month now…as far as we know. We only just got wind of it this week. It could have been for much longer."

"Where is she?" Yusuke asked.

"A forest in demon world not too far from Mukuro's territory."

"I know where you're talking about," Hiei stated. "She had me train there. It will be too dangerous for the fool to accompany us."

"Shut up, shorty! I can handle it. Besides, that girl needs our help."

"Whatever. Just don't hold us back."

"I guess it's time to send you off," Koenma said. "Good luck."

"What exactly are we supposed to do with her?" Yusuke asked.

"Bring her back here. Most likely she'll need medical attention."

Kurama frowned. "Let's go," he suggested. "The sooner we get to her, the better."

* * *

"Wow, shorty, you trained here?" Kuwabara asked in disbelief when they reached the forest.

"Yeah. So?" Kuwabara looked to him and then back to the forest and then back at him again. "Yes?" Hiei pressed.

"Nothing," Kuwabara finally answered. "Nothing at all."

"That's what I thought."

"So, I guess we should split up," Yusuke stated. Hiei and Kurama looked at him like he had three heads.

"I don't think that would be wise, Yusuke," Kurama said looking over to Kuwabara. It wasn't so much that Kurama doubted Kuwabara's skills as it was that the forest was full of high-class apparitions and sending a human in alone would prove fatal.

Yusuke followed his view. "Oh, I see your point," he said. "Well, Kuwabara and I can go off somewhere and you two can do whatever."

"Fine," Hiei said walking off.

* * *

Umiko peeked out from under the bush she had been hiding under for two days. She was starving, but too afraid to go look for food. The men who were chasing her could be back at any time; and if she did decide to leave her hiding place, they would capture her and force her to use her powers for their own personal gain.

_Please, don't let them find me. Let them leave this forest and never come back._

Umiko hoped that her prayers would be answered, but her heart sunk when she saw another man enter the clearing. He was wearing all black and had black hair. He appeared to be looking for someone, her. Umiko's heart started racing as she assumed he was working with the men who were after her.

Hiei knelt down in the clearing to examine the footprints of the men who had been after the water kitsune. Under his bandana, he opened his Jagan to see if the girl was anywhere in the area.

He sensed her just a few feet away under a bush. When he looked over in that direction, he sensed her panic. She thought he was the enemy.

Hiei sighed and slowly walked over to where the girl was hiding.

"You can come out of there," he said low. "I won't hurt you." There was no movement, no sound that showed the Umiko had heard him. _Damn it,_ hethought. _I'm going to have to try and be civil to someone I don't know because she's afraid of me. Perfect, just perfect. _

"I was sent with the spirit detectives to find you and keep you away from those men who were after you."

Umiko shivered in fear at the sound of his voice. He could be lying to her. Why would Spirit World send anyone to help her? What could they gain from protecting her?

Hiei read her mind and was aware of her doubt. He now wished that he didn't leave the group so hastily. Kurama would have done a better job of communicating with this girl. The only thing he could think to do was tell her who he was.

"I'm not lying," he said. "I was put on the detective's team a while ago and Koenma sent us here to find you. I'm not one of those men who are after you for your powers. I don't even know what they are, so come out of there before I make you."

Umiko still didn't trust him. Why should she? She didn't know him, nor had she heard of him…plus he just threatened her. He was sending Umiko mixed signals and she didn't know what to make of him.

"Hiei!" Yusuke called over to him. "We just took out a bunch of those guys that were after Umiko. We haven't found her yet, though." Hiei pointed to the bush so Yusuke and the other came over.

"She won't come out," he told them. "She thinks we're working with those guys you just took out."

"Well, we better get out of here soon," Kurama replied. "There are many more around this place." He got on his knees and moved the branches of the bush. Soon he and Umiko were staring each other face-to-face. "Hello," Kurama said in a friendly manner. "You must be Umiko."

Umiko didn't respond, making the others think she didn't understand them.

"Can you understand what we're saying?" Yusuke asked. Umiko just looked over to him. At least they knew she could hear them. "Well, my name is Yusuke Urameshi and I'm a spirit detective for Spirit World. My friends and I are here to get you out of this creepy place."

Umiko was about to respond when they all heard voices coming their way.

"Oh great, not more of those guys," Yusuke muttered. He turned to Umiko and said, "We'll be right back. You stay hidden."

Umiko nodded and covered herself back up in the bush. She watched as the four boys fight the men that had been looking for her in the clearing two days before. After the three were dead, Umiko finally admitted to herself that she could trust the boys standing in front of her.

"Hey," Yusuke called over to her, "you can come out now. There are no others around for miles. We can get you out of here now."

Umiko nodded and crawled out from the bush, but she couldn't do more than that. She was so tired and hungry after not eating or sleeping for weeks; her energy reserves were long gone. After attempting to ask for help, she ended up passing out.

The guys figured that would happen and were prepared to carry her back to the portal. Koenma was right. She needed some serious medical attention.

* * *

Umiko slowly opened her eyes blinking a few times. She didn't recognize where she was. It looked like a hospital, but she couldn't be sure.

She then remembered the four who saved her and tried using her powers to sense for any of the demons who had been chasing her. She only sensed the energies of the boys and what she assumed to be nurses and doctors. Umiko let out a sigh of relief; she didn't have to run anymore.

"I'm glad to see you're awake," the red-head who entered her room said. His energy seemed familiar to Umiko, not in knowing who he was, but in kinship.

"Do I know you?" Umiko asked.

Kurama chuckled. "No, we have never met before," he said, "but I am a kitsune, like you. I was once Youko Kurama."

Umiko smiled. "I am thankful to meet another kitsune, especially since I was shunned by my own clan."

"Well, we will not shun you," Kurama replied in a somewhat stern voice. "In fact, I wanted to tell you that I will protect you as if you were of my own clan."

Umiko couldn't contain her tears of joy of being accepted by another kitsune.

"Yo, Kurama!" Yusuke shouted as he walked in the room. Umiko's ears pressed themselves to her head to try to block out the volume. She was nervous about this boy and hid under the blanket, only letting her eyes peak over the covers.

"Yusuke, do you have to shout?" Kurama asked pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Sorry man," Yusuke replied rubbing the back of his head. He noticed how Umiko was acting. "Oops, sorry, kid. Didn't mean to startle you. I'm Yusuke."

Umiko looked at his outstretched hand and then over to Kurama who smiled and nodded. Umiko took Yusuke's hand and shook with him.

"How are you feeling?" Yusuke asked grabbing a chair, putting it next the bed, and sitting on it backwards.

"I'm fine," Umiko replied looking away from him. Yusuke being that close made her feel a little nervous and self-conscious after everything that happened.

"Well, I just wanted to give you the heads up," Yusuke explained. "Koenma is planning on coming to 'question' you about those guys." Yusuke seemed angry to Umiko, but she didn't understand why.

"Didn't you tell him she needs to recover first?" Kurama asked not hiding his new protectiveness over the kit.

"Yeah, I told him what you told me. That it was a traumatic experience and making her relive it wasn't good to do and to let her have a week, but Koenma does what Koenma wants."

Umiko didn't really know who Koenma was and started to get nervous. She didn't want to think about the last few years let alone explain what happened after she was banished from her clan. The boys' attention was drawn to her as she started hyperventilating.

"Umiko, calm down," Kurama pleaded attempting to calm her down. Kurama looked to Yusuke.

Yusuke held his hands up. "Alright, alright, I'll talk to him."

Yusuke left to go tell Koenma about what had happened at just the mention of her past while Kurama managed to calm her down.

"Umiko?" Kurama called.

"Yes, Kurama?"

"I won't question you about anything, but can you at least tell me if you're all right?" he asked.

"I'm okay…it's just, my past isn't really a happy one. Please don't make me talk about it."

Kurama agreed to discuss the matter with Koenma and left the room. Little did anyone else know, a short fire demon had been outside the room at the time and using the Jagan he found out more about this girl than he ever wanted to.

* * *

"_Get away from me you monster," a woman yelled to a very young Umiko._

"_Please, mama, I promise I won't do it again," the young girl cried attempting to walk over to her mother and beg for forgiveness. She was then backhanded by a man. Umiko rubbed her cheek and __looked up to him with confusion glossing her teary eyes. "Daddy?"_

"_Don't call me that," he growled, "and stay away from me and my mate. How could we have birthed such a vile creature as you?"_

_They turned to leave her. "Don't go!" she cried out. "I promise I won't sing again!" But they continued to walk without looking back at the kit they abandoned._

Umiko woke up to someone's gentle touch. When the blurriness in her visions cleared, she saw the man that she saw first crouching next to her in the bed. "What?" she asked meekly, trying to avert her gaze. "You shouldn't be in here."

"Hn," Hiei replied flitting over to the window. "Someone has to keep watch over you, lest Koenma get past one of us and force you to relive the things you'd rather keep buried." Umiko wondered how he could know exactly what she was thinking, but before she could voice her thought, Hiei answered the unspoken question. "I'm a telepath. I read your thoughts; I've seen your past; and I see your dreams," he revealed causing her eyes to widen. She looked away.

"Then you must see me as a monster too," Umiko said sadly. "Please, give me a chance. I swear to you, I will never sing. I will never use that power again."

Hiei looked over to the broken girl pleading with him. "What nonsense are you blabbering about?" he said deathly calm. "How can you see yourself as a monster when you have done no harm?" Hiei never normally defended strangers, but he had seen this girl was the same as him: abandoned by her people, lost in a cruel world, fighting to survive.

"But I have caused much harm," she admitted, although Hiei already knew. It had been unintentional. She hadn't know of her powers prior to what had happened, and yet because of one slip, she was cast aside by her parents and pack, left to thrive alone in the Makai. And she had, although she had gotten herself into trouble on more than one occasion.

She looked at him with fear in her eyes. "You do not have to be afraid of me," he told her. "I am bound to protect you, due to my honor code of course." When she looked at him questioningly, he sighed. "My name is Hiei." She relaxed a little at that. At least she knew she wasn't alone, but the fear in her heart still wouldn't leave her.

~To Be Continued

* * *

**A/N: That's a nice place to stop I think. I do hope I am keeping the original story as it was. I plan to fuse more chapters together as I go and when I get to the point she left off you may notice the style change a bit. Please comment if you want more! Thankies~**


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH

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Troubled Waters

Chapter Two

X -x-x-x-x- X

To anyone who had lived in a house the majority of their life, Genkai's compound would have seemed boring, somewhat rundown, and unwanted; but to someone who had never had a home, the place was huge concealing more that met the eye. Kurama chuckled at the sparkle in Umiko's eyes. She looked very happy with her new home.

"You all live here?" she asked in amazement.

"Well, not all the time," Kurama replied. "I still live with my parents but I am here on the weekends. Hiei lives here from time to time. A friend of ours, Yukina, lives here all the time. Yusuke is here sporadically and Kuwabara usually comes with me on weekends so he can spend time with Yukina."

"That's a lot of people," she replied hesitantly. She now looked nervous and tense.

Kurama hugged her from the side. "It's not so bad, Umiko. None of them want to hurt you like in your past. You are safe here and the more people here, the more people who can protect you. Everything will be fine."

Umiko nodded and walked with him into the compound. Even when he put her in a room that would be hers from now on, she still felt tense and scared. She didn't like being around a lot of people. If you were in a room full of people, they would be least likely to notice one person out of the majority being dragged out by her hair. They wouldn't be alerted if they heard a girl screaming as demons larger than her were beating her or attempting to "ruin" her as they would always say.

Umiko sat down on the floor and curled herself into a little ball against the bed with her tail moving close to her waist, seemingly guarding herself. She started hyperventilating but closed her eyes tightly to regain normal breathing.

That's how Hiei found her hours later and he wanted nothing more than to go over to her and tap her on the shoulder to snap her out of it, but any touch right now would set her off and he didn't want to do that to her.

_Can you hear me?_

_**Hiei?**_

_Yes, you need to calm down. You're panicking over the past. It can't hurt you anymore. Turn around and look at me._

She obeyed and peaked one eye out. Her tail fell limp to her side but she still wouldn't turn around to fully face him. Hiei let out an irritated breath of air and walked over to her and knelt in front of her. Now that she knew he was here he wasn't afraid to touch her.

He took her arms that she was using to cover her upper body and moved them to her sides. She tried to cover herself up again, a defense mechanism after all of her traumatic experiences.

"You can't stay like this all day," he told her gently. "You need to relax a little. This tenseness isn't good for you. Believe me, I would know."

Umiko looked away from him. She knew he was right, but she was still so scared. She wasn't expecting Hiei to help her to her feet, but willingly went along with him.

"The fox wanted me to come check on you and see if you wanted to go shopping with the girls." She looked a little unsure, but then nodded. She started to follow Hiei out of the room but Hiei stopped in front of her when they got to the door. "Don't let the past take over like that. Your past will always affect who and how you are, but allowing yourself to be so consumed by fear will not help you in your future battles. Understand?"

He may not have been facing her, but he knew she was nodding and continued walking.

"Aw, there she is," Botan said as Hiei brought her over to them. "Hi, Umiko."

Umiko gave a faint smile before a girl with teal hair bowed to her. "It's very nice to meet you. I am Yukina."

"Hi," Umiko whispered meekly. The girl felt familiar to her and she wasn't as nervous with her. Yukina smiled at her.

"Oh yes, we haven't been formally introduced. I'm Botan; that's Keiko standing next to Yukina." Keiko waved. "And this is Shizuru, Kuwabara's older sister."

"So, are you ready to go, kid?" Shizuru asked Umiko. Umiko looked over to Hiei who nodded at her. She looked back to the girls and mimicked Hiei's action.

"Well then, let's go," Botan said in a cheery voice.

* * *

"Today's been productive," Keiko stated.

"Yes, we were able to find plenty of close and accessories for you, Umiko. I bet you're happy about that," Botan chimed.

Umiko just smiled in response. She didn't feel comfortable enough to converse with the girls yet. She was brought into focus when Yukina stopped the others and pointed over to stage.

"Hey, look over there," she said happily. "A karaoke bar."

"Well, that looks like fun," Shizuru said. "We should go check it out."

"What's karaoke?" Umiko asked in interest.

"Oh, well you choose a song to sing and they play it without words, which you would sing," Botan explained. She didn't notice Umiko's face growing pale.

"Come on; let's go!" Keiko exclaimed.

"No," Umiko whispered. She looked up at the confused girls defiantly. "No!" She then took off with the other four girls calling out to and chasing after her. Umiko had no idea where she was going but she didn't care. _I won't go back there. I won't sing._

"_Brother, do you have to go?" a young Umiko asked._

_Her older brother knelt in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You know I must, little sister. They need more soldiers to fight in the war."_

_Umiko frowned. "Wars are stupid," she mumbled innocently._

_Her brother chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Umi."_

"_I love you too, Brye." Brye was her nickname for him since she was a baby. She hadn't, when she was younger, been able to say the word "brother" and it always stuck._

"_Umi, would you sing that song mom always sings? I hear you sometimes singing in your room. I'd like to hear it before I go."_

_Umiko's face lit up and she nodded. "Sure, Brye."_

_Umiko closed her eyes and sang her little heart out and when she finished, her brother hadn't said anything. She opened her eyes and was met with something she should never have seen. Her brother was lying dead on the floor. Umiko couldn't breathe for a moment and then did the only thing a child could do at that moment. She screamed._

"A death siren?" Kuwabara asked. "What's that?"

"Well, you know what a siren is, yes?" Kurama asked.

"Yeah, they sing and hypnotize men with their voices," Yusuke said. "I think."

"Yes, well a death siren can kill men with the sound of their voice," Kurama explained. "Except men who can shield their minds or are in another room."

"Wow," Yusuke said in surprise. "And she didn't know?"

"Not until she sang to her brother," Hiei replied entering the room.

Yusuke's and Kuwabara's eye widened. _That poor girl, _both boys thought before Yusuke's phone went off.

"Hey, Keiko, what's up?" Yusuke asked. Yusuke's face paled, alerting his friends. "Okay, we'll take care of it." He hung up the phone without saying goodbye.

"What?" Hiei snapped.

"Well, the girls were going to take Umiko to a karaoke bar. Fill in the blank." Hiei was out the door before Kurama or Kuwabara could respond.

_**Umiko, where are you? **_Hiei called in her mind.

_I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, _he heard her cry in her mind. When he asked her what she was sorry for, she just repeated herself.

_**Umiko, you need to tell me where you are. **_She didn't answer.

"Damn it!" Hiei shouted as he tried to focus the Jagan on her frantic energy.

Eventually he found her sobbing on the ground with people standing around her attempting to help.

"Go away!" she shouted through her tears. She attempted to run from them and ran into Hiei who appeared in front of her with outstretched arms. Umiko fell into his arms, then to her knees and sobbed into his chest. The humans stood around watching them. Hiei didn't like that.

"What the hell are you looking at?" he growled. "Leave us." The humans cringed at his harsh attitude and dark voice, but left him and Umiko alone.

Hiei let out an aggravated sigh. He didn't understand why those people were chasing her. If they thought they were helping, they were more idiotic than Kuwabara.

Hiei picked Umiko up and held her tightly as he disappeared into the trees racing back to Genkai's. He brought her to her room, ignoring his teammates' questions about what happened, and laid her in her bed. She whimpered and refused to let go of him, so he reluctantly joined her.

_This is going to be a long night._

~TBC


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH

* * *

Troubled Waters

Chapter Three

X -x-x-x-x- X

Umiko woke up the next morning and winced when she opened her eyes. She had a killer headache, she guessed from all the crying she had done the day before. She barely remembered what happened. All she remembered was that it had something to do with singing, and thinking of that made her start to panic again.

Before she could flip out again, she felt someone squeeze her tightly, arms wrapped around her stomach. She twisted a little to turn in the person's grasp. Her eyes widened when she realized Hiei was holding her.

Umiko choked back on an incoming sob, worrying that she might have accidently hurt him. "Don't worry about me," he ordered. "The Jagan keeps me protected from many things. Your voice happens to be one of them. You can sing around me without worrying what might happen." If someone had walked in, they would think Hiei was still sleeping and just muttering stuff in his sleep, but Umiko knew better.

Umiko blushed and looked away from him and started whispering a song her father used to sing to her. When she turned to look at Hiei again, he had his eyes focused on her and still had his arms wrapped around her.

"See, now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Umiko giggled and curled up into him. She then gasped at the realization that she actually trusted him. "Good to know," he said smirking. "That'll make my life a hell of a lot easier. Now, about your power."

Umiko frowned. She didn't want to talk about her past or that curse she carried. "Just listen," he demanded. "I can help you control it." She looked at him with hopeful eyes. "I still feel a push against my mind when you sing. We can work until I don't feel a push at all, meaning that none of your spirit is being forced into it. That or we can find some type of restraint. Kurama is already looking into that for the day to day stuff until we can help you control it, or for use as a safety blanket."

Umiko sat up and threw her arms around his neck for a hug. He was taken aback by the action and ended up making both of them fall out of bed. Umiko landed on top of him as they both hit the ground. She looked away sheepishly, feeling bad that she caused him any kind of pain.

Hiei smirked. "It didn't even hurt me, fox." He started playing with her tail a bit causing her to visibly relax. He helped her get up and then held his hand out for her. "You should eat. You didn't get dinner last night." Umiko nodded and followed him to the kitchen, well more liked skipped behind him until they reached the kitchen. She felt a lot happier than she had been in years.

"Well, look who's awake," Yusuke said with a smile when Hiei brought Umiko into the kitchen. "Hungry?" Umiko nodded. "Okay, well Kurama is working on breakfast right now, but I'll get you a snack. Have you ever had chocolate before?"

"N-n-no," she responded quietly.

Yusuke's smile widened into a grin and he got up and got her a chocolate bar. "Here," he said after unwrapping the bar. "You'll like it."

Umiko sniffed the sweet substance and took a hesitant bite. When she tasted it, though, she smiled and her tail curled around her waist. Yusuke chuckled. "So I guess you like it then, huh?" Umiko nodded and took another bite. Why didn't they have that stuff in Demon World? It was small and she would have been able to carry plenty.

"Yusuke, why are you giving her sweets before breakfast?" Kurama asked coming into the room.

"Sweets?" Umiko asked.

"Yeah, candy, cake, cookies," Yusuke explained. "Anything with a lot of sugar. And to answer your question, Kurama, she was hungry and you weren't done with breakfast yet."

Kurama shook his head and then had him and Kuwabara help him bring the food he cooked to the table. Hiei led Umiko to the table and sat down next to her.

"Hiei…" Umiko started to say, but she didn't continue. She looked at him sheepishly.

"You don't have to talk about yesterday if you don't want to," he told her. "Enma knows I don't. I'm won't be a hypocrite and force you to tell me anything. Besides, I probably already know."

"I'm sure you do," she replied. "Thank you." He looked at her like she was crazy. "For yesterday and the other night, I mean. I never officially thanked you for what you said."

"I meant it," he told her. "Don't let other's tell you who you are. Only you can do that. But I can honestly say that you have not hurt anyone on purpose. You are a lot better than I am."

The conversation was effectively ended. Umiko didn't want to pressure Hiei into talking either and she could tell by how he said that last statement that he didn't want to talk about his hidden meaning.

After breakfast, Umiko went out to the woods with Hiei. Barely any demons came so deep into the forest and it was the perfect place to start Umiko's training. She wanted control and wanted it now. With everything she had been through, well, who could really blame her?

* * *

A week of training had passed and Umiko was already starting to get control of her power. She still had a long way to go, but she was progressing much faster than Hiei had expected. That only proved that she was determined to gain control of her "curse."

At the end of the week, Hiei told Umiko that she should take the weekend off to rest, but Umiko refused.

"I don't want to be a monster anymore," she argued sadly.

Hiei sighed. "How many times do we have to go over this?" he asked. "You aren't a monster. You never hurt anyone on purpose. What happened was an accident and I will help you so that it never happens again."

"Hiei, I hurt a lot more people," she told him thinking he didn't know.

"I saw all of that," he reminded her. "Look, even though you were aware that something you did hurt your brother, you had no idea it was your voice. You were just trying to get by singing for money. You never meant for those people to get hurt."

She glared at him. "Why can't you just say I killed them?"

"Because," Hiei started, "if I did, you would start reliving those memories again, of how people treated you and what they said." Umiko knew he was right and gave him an apologetic look. "Don't worry about it. It's fine."

"Thank you for training with me, Hiei."

He smirked at her. "Anything to hear you sing more." He chuckled when the kitsune blushed. "Let's head back. It's getting dark."

On the way back to the temple, something felt off.

_**Umiko, stay close to me, **_Hiei ordered. Umiko moved closer to him and took his arm.

_What's wrong? _she asked.

_**It's probably nothing, but I'd rather not take any chances.**_

When they reached the edge of the forest, they were surrounded by demons that both Umiko and Hiei recognized. They were the demons who had been chasing Umiko for the last few years.

"No," Umiko whispered. She couldn't believe it; she thought she had lost them when Spirit World got ahold of her.

Hiei noticed her stance and immediately understood who the men were. He glared at them and growled, drawing his sword and standing protectively in front of Umiko.

"Hiei, what are you-?"

"Get out of here," he ordered. "I'll take care of these fools."

Umiko nodded and ran into the protective barrier of the temple. She fell to her knees and watch as Hiei fought the men that had been chasing her for her power all her life. She had never been able to fight them off easily, but Hiei was ending them so quickly and efficiently. Umiko was so grateful for him. When the last guy fell, Genkai came outside with Yukina and Botan.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Genkai shopped, looking at the dead bodies.

"They came to take me away, again," Umiko said drifting off. Hiei caught her before she hit the ground.

"Oh the poor dear," Botan cooed, "she fainted."

"Is there something we can do?" Yukina asked.

Hiei shook his head. "No, I'll take care of this."

Hiei brought Umiko to her room and laid her on the bed. He felt like he had been doing that a lot lately; though this time, he let his hands linger on her back and in her hair. The fire demon had no idea why, but he had been starting for feel an attachment in addition to his connection with her. It was strange as he had never felt anything like it before. When he sensed those demons and saw the fear in her eyes, he wants nothing more to deliver a violent and bloody death to each of them. He did just that, and thankfully Umiko was too zoned out to notice the gory remains of her former attackers.

"Is she okay?" Hiei turned to see Yukina standing in the doorway.

"Yes," Hiei replied honestly, "she is alright, just stressed by her situation."

"I can imagine," Yukina responded, thinking about her own trauma after she left the ice village. During that time, she ended up being kidnapped by Tarukane, so she understood the kitsune a little more. "I just don't understand why her people sent her away. It's not fair."

"I have learned that nothing in life is fair," Hiei told her.

"I know," Yukina whispered. "They shouldn't have treated you that way."

Hiei's eyes widened as he looked over to his sister. "What? Who?"

Yukina frowned, but then let out a sigh and looked back at Umiko. "Do we really have to keep doing this, Hiei? We both know the truth. We both know you're my brother." Hiei didn't respond as he was trying to recover from his shock. "I'm surprised that with the Jagan you didn't know I knew."

"I have never read your mind or invaded your privacy like that," he admitted. He sighed also. "I'm guessing you want an explanation."

Yukina flashed him a kind smile. "It's alright. I do understand you and I know why you kept it hidden. I just want you to know no hard feelings and I don't judge you for anything you went through."

"Secret's out, I guess," Hiei muttered quietly.

They both looked down to the sleeping kit. "You like her, don't you?" Yukina asked.

Hiei shrugged. He didn't really understand his feelings. He knew he was protective of her and cared about her well-being. He loved her eyes, her hair, her adorable ears and tail, her voice; he loved everything about her, but he didn't know if that meant he "liked" her the way Yukina was inferring.

"I think you do," Yukina said with a smile. "I like her too. She's very nice."

Hiei nodded, but jumped when he heard the sound of his name being called into the room weakly. Yukina smiled. "I'll leave you two alone," she told Hiei after giving him a quick hug.

Hiei looked down the water kit who had fear and anxiety running in her eyes. "Don't worry," he told her. "Those creeps won't ever hurt you again."

If only that were true.

* * *

"Sir, another ten of our men's energies has disappeared."

The angry demon banged his fist on the table, breaking the wooden object into pieces. "Who did it this time?"

"The fire demon, sir."

"Hm, a fire demon protecting a water kit…Interesting," the man said with a smirk, "very interesting indeed..."

~TBC


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH

* * *

Troubled Waters

Chapter Four

X -x-x-x-x- X

It took a few days for Umiko to feel relaxed again. It had been so long since she had been attacked that she let her guard down. That was one thing Hiei told her never to do in a battle. Well, her battles were far from over and she had gone against his advice.

They had continued training her voice. It was getting better. It had gotten to the point where she could sing in the same room as people, as long as they weren't looking at her.

"She has an amazing voice," she heard Yusuke say one day in the kitchen.

"Yeah, too bad she's still afraid to use it," Kuwabara agreed. "She seems to enjoy it."

"It will get better with time," Kurama said while drying a dish. "I'm more worried about her attackers."

"Same here, but if they come back, I'll smash them into the pavement," Yusuke stated punching his fist into his palm. "No one hurts one of our own and gets away with it."

The words "one of our own" made Umiko's heart sore. She knew Kurama had adopted her, them both shunned by their own clans, if his even still existed; but now she felt like she was part of a family, something she hadn't felt in a long time.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Hiei standing behind her. "Ready to train?" he asked.

Umiko just smiled confidently and said, "You bet."

It caused Hiei to wonder where her change in attitude came from.

Umiko had just finished singing a song and turned to face Hiei. He was smirking at her, though it was different than his usual smirk. "What?" Umiko asked nervously.

"I didn't feel a push," Hiei told her, the smirk never leaving his face.

Her eyes widened in shock. Hiei always felt a small push anytime she sang, meaning her spiritual energy was still being pushed out into her songs.

"Wait, let me sing something else," Umiko requested. Hiei nodded his agreement, but this time, he didn't put up a mental block.

When Umiko finished the song, Hiei smirked again and then admitted to her that he didn't use his Jagan to protect him. Umiko was overjoyed. She had complete control of her powers now.

Not thinking about anything else, she ran over to Hiei and jumped into his arms. In her joy, she kissed him, shocking them both. Umiko pulled away from him and avoided his gaze. "Sorry," she said quietly, but Hiei didn't really hear her.

Instead, he gently forced her to look at him, holding her chin, before he kissed her again. It was more than a spur of the moment kiss. He may not have understood his feelings, but he knew he wanted her. He made sure to let her know that from this one kiss.

When he pulled away from her, he smirked at her doe-eyed look and said, "Now we're even."

* * *

Umiko was so happy. She had sung more around Hiei when he didn't have his mental block up and nothing happened. She sang around Kurama one time, and still nothing happened. She sang to her friends, her new family, and still nothing happened. Kurama hadn't even found anything for her to use as a safety blanket yet, and she had already gotten control. She was so enthusiastic about being able to sing without hurting others that she decided that she wanted to go to the karaoke bar and sing in front of other humans.

"Can we?" she asked Hiei with her tail rapidly swaying from side to side in excitement.

Hiei smirked at her. "I don't see a problem," he told her. "I'm sure everyone would want to come hear you."

Umiko smiled sadly thinking of her brother. He had always wanted to hear her sing too. If she had had this control back then…

"Stop thinking about it," Hiei ordered sternly. "Your brother would want you to forgive yourself and move on. He wouldn't want you to punish yourself for something you did in innocence."

Umiko nervously turned away from him, slightly twirling her hair. He took her hand and stopped her twirling motion. He put her arm to her side and held both her arms in place. Her eyes glossed over with unshed tears and curiosity. Hiei took one of his hands and gently glided it up and down her arm, and she relaxed. "I like it better when you are this calm," he told her. "It makes me feel calm."

He then let her go and Umiko watched as he left the room. She didn't feel bad about him leaving like that. She knew he was going to go ask the others about karaoke.

It had been a long time since Umiko had been to the mall. Last time, she had had a mental breakdown when she found out what karaoke was. Now she was excited to see people singing on a small stage. She couldn't wait to be one of them.

Botan noticed this and smiled. "I'm glad that you're happier this time around," she said. Umiko looked over to her with a blank expression. Botan looked down sheepishly. "I'm truly sorry about last time. We didn't know."

Umiko then smiled and said, "It's okay; I hadn't really told anyone back then. It's a strange ability that no one would have ever guessed I possessed."

"Well, we're really excited about hearing you sing," Keiko said happily.

"You should be," Yusuke said putting his arm around his girlfriend. "She's amazing." He winked over to Umiko who just blushed, the smile still resting on her face.

"Then let's get you up there," Shizuru stated, taking Umiko's hand and leading her to the stage. Shizuru explained to Umiko how to choose a song and what to do. Umiko nodded her thanks and started searching. She hadn't thought about what to sing, just the idea of singing. The kitsune finally chose a song. She didn't know it very well, but it stuck out at her, so she went with it.

Umiko gave her selection to some guy who entered some code into a machine and handed her a microphone. She started to feel nervous as the music started, but that was only because so many people were watching her that she didn't know. She ended up singling out Hiei which made all of her nerves disappear.

_The eagle wants a canyon  
And a place where he can rest his wings a while  
The drifter wants a freight train  
That will carry him another hundred miles  
The lion's only lookin' for something he can sink his teeth into  
Oh and I want you  
_

Umiko was happy she had chosen this song. It was already describing her perfectly. For years, she had been on the run with no rest and she finally had some reprieve. She was somewhere so far away from her first home, away from the ones who cast her away. There were still people after her, but she was confident that if she avoided them for this, they would never catch her.

_The devil wants a fella  
With a weakness he can wrap his arms around  
The champion wants a challenger  
Who just might have the strength to take him down  
The river wants an ocean to run towards  
And pour its heart into  
Oh and I want you  
_

She had been weak when the spirit detectives first found her, injured and starved. Thanks to the people she had come to see as family, she was stronger. Umiko smiled thankfully to Hiei who just leaned back in his seat, crossed his arms, and smirked at her. Umiko just smiled at him as she continued to get into the song.

_Oh, every time that I'm around you  
Oh, I'm on fire when we touch  
Oh, when I hold you boy you know  
I can't get close enough  
Yes I want you_

She was staring at him so intently with every word sung. It was hypnotizing. He knew full well that she was a siren, but he seemed to be the only one fully entranced by her song. He didn't know why, but it was making him want to join her, or at least to hold her as she sang more beautiful melodies. _Gah! _he shouted in his head. _I've been listening to the ferry girl's ramblings for too long._

_I could cry and say I need you  
Tell you that I die when you're not here  
I could lie and say I love you  
Pour a little poison in your ear  
But all I'm gonna give you is  
Nothing but the bare and naked truth  
Baby, I want you  
Baby, I want you  
_

His thoughts were cut when she continued. She knew he was listening intently to her and gave him a quick wink when she finished. After a ton of applause and catcalls, Umiko gave a small bow and ran offstage and back to her friends.

When she reached their table, the girls gathered around her telling her how proud they were of her. She whispered thank yous to them and the other guys giving her compliments, but honestly, she just wanted to know what Hiei thought. His smirk confirmed what she wanted to know and her smile appeared bigger, if that were even possible. She ran over to him and gave him a hug. He was taken by surprise but closed his eyes and hugged her back. This did not go unnoticed by the others in the group, but Hiei ignored them and the snickers coming from Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"You should go sing something next," Umiko whispered in his ear.

Hiei hid his smile in her hair and shook his head. "Maybe another time." Umiko nodded and the two of them joined the group at the table. The others took turns going up to sing and everyone had a really good time. Later that night, Umiko fell asleep with a smile on her face and had no bad dreams.

~TBC

* * *

**A/N: Song: "I Want You" by Faith Hill. This is the end of what FireStorm1991 has written. I can't say when I will update again with new material but the style may or may not change. Thanks so much for any reviews and follows and such :)**


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